Jim Holden

Chief Sports Writer of the Sunday Express

Alistair Cook’s new recipe could see England rising from the Ashes

HIS days have been filled by a series of high-powered meetings with England cricket bosses. His nights have been spent lying sleepless in his hotel bed, wrestling with how best to respond to the Ashes nightmare.

SELFISH; Graeme Swann's decision to quit was a turning point for Cook and Flower [PA]

Alastair Cook didn’t go anywhere near a cricket field, and yet the past week has been the most important in the sporting life of the England captain.

The conclusions he comes to will make or break his leadership in the months ahead.

Being captain of the England cricket team is an all-consuming job, one of the toughest in all sport, and the good news is that despite the Ashes trauma Cook remains consumed, beguiled and inspired by the role.

That was evident as he answered questions yesterday for the first time since the 5-0 debacle and the storm of speculation over whether England will ditch superstar batsman Kevin Pietersen from the team.

“A lot is thrown in your face as captain, and I’ve been thinking about the stuff I would like to do, how I would like to lead this side forward, and the decisions which go with that,” said Cook.

“When you lose 5-0 it gives you the chance to have a blank sheet of paper and start afresh.”

He gave no details of his thinking. He gave no verdict on Pietersen, and certainly not any kind of personal endorsement.

It did not sound good for KP, and maybe not for other ageing senior players like fast bowler Jimmy Anderson, who also performed poorly in the Ashes series but escaped under the radar with far less critical attention than Pietersen.

Selection is one big question Cook has been wrestling with in his own mind and in several meetings with England team director Andy Flower and new ECB managing director Paul Downton.

But it’s not the only one.

Most significant of all, I understand, is the policy decision that Cook should take robust responsibility as a more assertive captain – that he should build a new team to play in a more vibrant and aggressive style, a team that is his and his alone.

This is surely correct.

For too long England’s cricket has been overwhelmingly dour and dull, with a sense that it was stuck on auto-pilot in a strategy created under the previous regime of Andrew Strauss.

The last few months have proved a series too far for this group, the side crushed by a combination of Australian power and its own arrogant complacency.

The senior men disintegrated. Pietersen’s self-indulgent approach appears to have thoroughly alienated team director Flower, wicketkeeper Matt Prior has already been axed, while spinner Graeme Swann walked out of the Ashes tour at 3-0 down.

When you lose 5-0 it gives you the chance to have a blank sheet of paper and start afresh

Alistair Cook

I believe this was the turning point for Cook and Flower. It was a supremely selfish act by Swann, and symbolic of a team containing too many players for whom their own personal whims, statistics and attitude were seemingly more important than the general good of squad.

It reeked of decadence – which is what happens when empires crumble.

The mighty egos have now become more of a burden to the team than a glittering adornment.

It is time for change, serious change. And although Cook and Flower have made mistakes, they are without question the best men to chart the way for England.

Both are characters of authority and integrity, leaders around whom youngsters like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Joe Root can become the heart of England’s future.

Flower’s name has filled the headlines in the past few days because of widespread reports he has deep worries about the attitude of Pietersen.

If he thinks it is best for the team that KP is axed, then England’s bosses must back Flower 100 per cent, however frenzied the reaction might be among celebrity critics like Piers Morgan.

Cook certainly stands in staunch support of Flower. That was clear from his conversation yesterday ahead of the one-day series that began overnight.

“Andy is a fantastic coach with a very good record,” said Cook.

“It is great news for us that he wants to carry on because we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us.

“The Ashes series has been a reality check. When you win games of cricket it can paper things over. Now we need to change a lot of things.”

These words brooked no misinterpretation.

Cook is a man on a mission, and it was fascinating to watch him speak with such assurance about his task.

It may seem strange to say that he is growing into his role as England captain just when the team has lost 5-0 to Australia – but you find out the hard, diamond truth about top sportsmen when adversity strikes.

To my mind, there was reason for optimism in the impressive demeanour of Alastair Cook here in Melbourne yesterday.

He knows this is a critical moment in his career, and he is ready for action.